Hornady has discontinued .17WSM
- Thread starter Chaparral
- Start date
stagpanther
New member
I'd ask Winchester what they are doing--it's more or less their pony.
Great news today. I own a Franklin Armory F17L. It is basically an AR in 17 wsm. I had contacted Franklin Armory and ask them if they had heard anything. Franklin Armory called me back and advised they had been in contact with Winchester and that they assured that they are making it and about to start shipping. 
FrankenMauser
New member
Yea. It was doomed from the start. As soon as they decided to chase max velocity, they shot the cartridge in the foot.
Lifespan of the original WSMs was about 10 years, overall. The WSSMs lived an even shorter life.
I expect .17 WSM to fall into the same category, "obsolete, out of production," before we land on the moon again.
I still believe it should have been .20 caliber. Though, that does bring it even more into the realm of 5mm Rem.
Heavier bullets, still good velocity, and different enough from .17 HMR and .17 Hornet to stand out just a little more.
Partnering with Savage and pairing it with the B.mag didn't do it any favors, either. Flimsy stocks; bad barrels; and an action aimed at youth, that was clock-on-close and so stiff that many adults could not close the bolt easily, let alone children.
My opinions aside, there is one thing to keep in mind:
This is Hornady.
1. They don't manufacture rimfire ammo. They contract with Olin (Winchester) and Vista Outdoors (CCI) for it. They may not have been able to negotiate a good contract for it, there may not have been time in the production schedule, or it might actually just not sell well enough for them to care any more.
2.They often don't list things as "seasonal" any more. If it isn't in 'constant' production, it just gets listed as "discontinued".
Rather than using the term that Olin used to use, "occasional," Hornady just goes to the deathly sound of "discontinued".
Case in point: The .430" 265 gr FP Interlock. Hornady produces the bullet every year, sometimes multiple times a year. But it has been listed as discontinued for about 8 years, now. (As well as from 2008 to 2012-ish.)
Rather than "seasonal" or "occasional", it just shows as "discontinued", even though they do still make it. It isn't even on their website any more, except in the Superformance loaded ammunition. But they still kick several hundred thousand out the door every year (and the loaded ammo).
stagpanther
New member
That one really ticks me off--nor have I EVER been able to find it for the past 6 years or so.
FM hit it right on . The B mag was the worst rifle I ever bought . I wanted it for Turkey hunting head shots at about 75 yards , it was not capable of that . The I reinforced the stock , cut the barrel down to stiffen it some and lower the velocity to be more suited to the twist rate . That helped some . The bolt will close before it is forward enough to lock . That will really mess up a quick follow up shot . On top of that all the ammo I tried was inconsistent .
That's kind of a bummer. I never really got the 17 WMR though. I bought a 22 Mag way back (my first rifle), love the round. Tack driver is overused, but it really is one and it has some decent range. So when the 17 came out, I was like why? Too small, too light, sheds velocity too fast. It never offered anything over the 22 Mag that already existed. IMHO
FrankenMauser
New member
Keep yours eyes on the Graf's and Midway websites. When Hornady runs them, they tend to end up in stock with Midway and Graf's, and in small shops that work with the same distributor(s).
But they sell out online in less than a day, usually. And it seems to get worse with every run. Last year, Midway showed something like 1,344 boxes available at about 8 am, when I texted a reloader in need. By the time he took action on my text message at about 11 am, they were sold out.
The bullets come when the ammo does. So signing up for notifications on the ammo being in stock might be a good alert method.
stagpanther
New member
I tried that--by the time I got the notification, the one or two times I did--they were long gone. I think I have 3 left in one box.
deadcoyote
New member
I’ll jump on the bandwagon, I bought a Bmag when they came out. It functioned just inaccurate. Savage told me it was “acceptably accurate” when I complained to them.
The .17 wsm was supposed to be followed up by a .25 wsm, I was initially excited to buy both. After how much the first one disappointed me I had no desire to buy a follow up rifle and the manufacturer knew they’d figuratively shot them selves in the foot as well.
The .17 wsm was supposed to be followed up by a .25 wsm, I was initially excited to buy both. After how much the first one disappointed me I had no desire to buy a follow up rifle and the manufacturer knew they’d figuratively shot them selves in the foot as well.
After the demise of the 5mm Rem Mag, I put a personal hold on all new rimfire "wonder rounds" of any caliber. I'm not a big fan of the .22WMR, either.
When I need or want more the a .22LR can do, I use a .22 Hornet. Or something larger.
Sorry to see any round abandoned, but the .17 rimfires were always a "knew or should have known this would happen" thing, to me.
When I need or want more the a .22LR can do, I use a .22 Hornet. Or something larger.
Sorry to see any round abandoned, but the .17 rimfires were always a "knew or should have known this would happen" thing, to me.
stagpanther
New member
I don't think it's a question of whether or not the cartridge itself is valid--plenty of others have caught on that didn't offer much of anything over existing ones--I think it's because in the rimfire world you are especially vulnerable to the whims of the ammo manufacturers since hardly anyone hand loads their rimfire. This represses the demand for components and stifles wildcat ingenuity IMO.
Yes, rimfires are especially vulnerable to that, but they aren't entirely alone. Any round that is A)proprietary, and B) based off a case that cannot be made from common easily available brass, is at risk of being killed off by the whims of the beancounters and profit margins.
It has nothing to do with whether or not the cartridge is adequate for its intended purpose, and very little to do with if the round offers some kind of unique advantage, it has to do with SALES, and not just initial sales but continued sales.
deadcoyote
New member
Then again, no one should ever listen to me. When .17 HMR came out my buddy bought one and landed a solid hit on a badger that then freaked out and ran around its den for a while on the outside before being dispatched. In my clairvoyant state I instantly declared it a worthless round that would never take off. That obviously worked out just like I thought ??????
deadcoyote
New member
I can completely admit my own bias here, as it slightly annoys me when people say things like this. Admittedly, I have never and do not want to shoot badgers. I think they’re cool. I have a lot of friends and family in the Midwest and they’re considered a pest and it’s a whole thing. My only real take on this is per my family, and my own observations with them, a .22 win mag making a similar same hit will always put a badger down. In that moment, having been told this is the newer, better, alternative to a .22 win mag. I was not impressed with the outcome.
Not sure if we have two parallel discussions going with some thread drift, or if some folks have jumped the track.
Just in the interest of minimizing confusion; the OP is about .17WSM, a centerfire rifle cartridge which has been discontinued, not .17HMR, a rimfire cartridge which has not, to my knowledge, been discontinued.
Just in the interest of minimizing confusion; the OP is about .17WSM, a centerfire rifle cartridge which has been discontinued, not .17HMR, a rimfire cartridge which has not, to my knowledge, been discontinued.
stagpanther
New member
It is rimfire and is still reportedly in production by Winchester.